John –

Donald Trump and his cronies tried to weaponize the federal government to silence dissent — pressuring the FCC to force broadcasters to take Jimmy Kimmel off the air, and even threatening to revoke their licenses if they refused. It was blatant government overreach and a chilling attempt to punish criticism, straight from the authoritarian playbook.

This is how democracies are dismantled — not all at once, but piece by piece, as leaders abuse power to silence opponents and control the narrative. Trump has made it clear he'll use every tool available to bend institutions to his will.

But this time, it didn't work.

Because people spoke up. Millions of us raised our voices, flooded inboxes, jammed phone lines, canceled subscriptions — and it worked. Disney heard us loud and clear, and they backed down.

It's proof that when we act together, we are stronger than any strongman. We have the power to resist authoritarianism — not just with our ballots, but with our voices, our organizing, and our dollars.

And it means that moving forward as we work to flip the House, block disastrous budgets, be a check on executive power, and more, we've got to be even more committed, loud, and organized.

Trump may believe he can bend this country to his will, but we've just shown him otherwise. And if we keep speaking up and fighting back, he won't succeed.

Val